China's State Councillor Yang later called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who underlined that a strong India-China relationship is important not only for the mutual benefit of their people but also for the region and the world.

Government said the talks between NSA Doval and China's Yang Jiechi on Friday were positive

NEW DELHI: It is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas pending the resolution of the boundary issue between the two countries, India and China agreed at the 20th round of the border talks on Friday.

This was the first meeting of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart State Councillor Yang Jiechi's meeting as Special Representatives of the two countries after the 73-day long Doklam standoff. They had met on the sidelines of BRICS summit in September.

Councillor Yang later called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who underlined that a strong India-China relationship is important not only for the mutual benefit of their people but also for the region and the world.

Neither India nor Beijing explicitly have spoken if the Doklam standoff was discussed at the border talks. But China's foreign ministry did underline that this wasn't just a mechanism for dialogue on border issues between the two sides "but also important platform for strategic communication between China and India".

"The talks were positive and focussed on bringing out the full potential of the closer developmental partnership between the two countries," an external ministry spokesperson later said in a statement.

The Special Representatives also agreed that an early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries.

The stand-off in Doklam - an uninhabited area claimed by both China and Bhutan - had started in mid-June. Indian troops had intervened when China started building a road in the area as it would have given Beijing access to Chicken's neck, a strategic wedge of land that links mainland India to its northeastern region.

The standoff had threatened to sour relations between the two countries and China had issued several strong warnings to New Delhi. This week, Beijing called the standoff a "major test" for bilateral ties and asked India to learn from it to avoid future conflict.

"The two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. In this regard, the Special Representatives exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures," the external affairs ministry statement said.